Autistic-like traits (ALTs) have been widely examined, including in romantic relationships, yet few studies have approached them from an evolutionary perspective. Mate retention tactics are associated with different types of life history strategies. Because we hypothesize that individuals with ALTs prefer a fast life history strategy, we also assume that they use specific types of mate retention tactics. This study investigated the associations between ALTs and mate retention tactics, considering reproductive strategies and attachment styles as mediators. Structural equation modeling on a sample of 796 individuals (52% female) showed that individuals with ALTs are less likely to engage in cost-inflicting tactics. No significant link between ALTs and benefit-provisioning mate retention tactics was found in this study. ALTs were more strongly linked to attachment styles—both fearful and avoidant—than to reproductive strategies. Contrary to expectations, ALTs did not negatively predict a slow reproductive strategy (parental effort) or positively predict a fast strategy (mating effort), though additional regression analyses suggested a potential link with mating effort. Participants’ sex did not moderate these relationships, while age was associated with decreased attachment anxiety, mating effort, and mate retention behaviors, alongside increased parental effort. A key limitation is the weak predictive power of ALTs for reproductive strategies, highlighting the need for alternative measurement approaches in future research.
There is a significant gap in research concerning the relationship between social anxiety and the expression of pride. This study examines the mediating role of fear of positive evaluation in the relationship between social anxiety and both the tendency to express pride and the momentary experience of authentic and hubristic pride. A sample of 703 first-year undergraduate students from Croatia completed a survey assessing social anxiety, fear of positive evaluation, experience of authentic and hubristic pride and expression of pride. Fear of positive evaluation mediated the link between social anxiety and the tendency to express pride. Additionally, it also mediated the relationship between social anxiety and both authentic and hubristic pride. The results are consistent with evolutionary theories that explain the importance of social hierarchy in shaping the emotional experiences of socially anxious individuals. Findings highlight the significant role of fear of positive evaluation in determining how socially anxious individuals experience and express pride, emphasizing the need for further research on its effects in domains of social status and psychological well-being.
Among the various physical traits that serve as secondary sexual characteristics, breasts and buttocks are visually conspicuous cues used in male mate evaluation because they signal youth, fertility, developmental stability, and nutritional status. Although these features have been extensively studied, less is known about the extent to which men differ in the relative importance they place on each trait. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified distinct subgroups of Norwegian men ( N = 395) based on how much importance they placed on breasts and buttocks in their evaluations of romantic partners. A four-class solution emerged, comprising Highly Body-Oriented (53%), Moderately Body-Oriented (20%), Buttocks-Oriented (18%), and Body-Unoriented (9%) subgroups. Predictors such as egalitarianism, materialism, and preferences for sexiness were, as expected, significantly associated with class membership, providing support for the validity of the typology. Notably, a consistent buttocks-oriented class emerged across all LPA solutions, whereas no distinct breasts-oriented group was found, as ratings of breasts persistently co-occurred with high ratings of buttocks, suggesting that breasts do not function as a primary preference in isolation. These findings reveal that buttocks may occupy a more central and stable role than breasts in male mate preferences, offering novel insights into the structure of physical attraction and heterogeneity in the male mating mind.
Narcissism is viewed as both a heritable trait and an activated state, but little research has explored how narcissism manifests in populations from an evolutionary perspective. Relying on two nationally representative US samples, we explore how narcissism may be mobilized or manifest in populations that undergo major environmental changes such as migration. More specifically, we treat immigrant generational status as a naturally occurring experiment and explore the differing levels of narcissism of new migrants, first, second and successive generations. We find new immigrants and first-generation Americans have the highest levels of narcissism, but those rates steadily decrease with later generations. Overall, narcissism appears to either be activated in populations under conditions of need, scarcity, stress, and survival, or be a key motivator for people who choose to migrate. Critically important, and from a generational perspective, narcissism declines to the new population level as migrants settle into their new environments.
Psychosocial acceleration theory (PAT) posits that harsh and unpredictable ecologies during childhood can cue humans into developing earlier and more frequent reproduction. This study tested whether variables measuring harsh and unpredictable circumstances in 4,135 Brazilian municipalities and in 2,763 US counties would predict reproductive behavior 10 to 14 years later. Data was extracted from the Brazilian Census and American Community Survey samples. A secondary analysis explored whether the percentage of visible minorities (Black and Indigenous population) would also be a predictor or mediator of the same outcomes. Partial least squares structural equation modeling and multivariate linear regression were used in the analysis of Brazil and US data, respectively. Municipalities with higher rates of lack of resources, with young mothers both married or separated, and with large families with many residents per room were predictive of higher rates of teenage and young adult mothers and of young children in Brazil. Harshness predicted the percentage of young children in US counties, but the direction of this association was mixed. Some findings were contrary to PAT predictions. Divorce rates were negative predictors of reproduction in both countries. Education and employment indicators were not significant predictors of reproduction in Brazil. Higher rates of perceived minorities were not a relevant predictor in Brazil, and they were a negative predictor of the percentage of children in the United States. Findings suggest that harsh ecologies and the proportion of children in the population impact patterns of reproduction a decade later.
